Guide to the Grunsky Family Papers, 1830-1969
Processed by Elizabeth Konzak
The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Grunsky Family Papers, 1830-1969
Collection number: BANC MSS C-B 557
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Contact Information:
- Collection Processed By:
- Elizabeth Konzak
- Date Completed:
- October 2003
- Finding Aid written by:
- Elizabeth Konzak
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Grunsky Family Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1830-1969
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 557
Creator:
Grunsky family
Grunsky, Charles, 1823-1891.
Grunsky, C. E. (Carl Ewald), 1855-1934.
Grunsky, Clotilde, 1830-1864.
Grunsky, Eugene L.
Extent:
8 Boxes, 3 Cartons, 1 Oversize Folder
6.25 linear feet
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract: The Grunsky Family Papers consist of correspondence, documents, diaries, notebooks, and professional papers. Correspondence
from German immigrant Charles (Carl) Grunsky and his first wife, Clotilde Camerer, describes California during and after the
gold rush to family in Germany (written in German). Correspondence continues with Charles' children, Carl Ewald, Charlotte
(Lottie), Otto, and Anna as well as Carl Ewald's wife Martha Kate Powers, her father Aaron Powers, and their children Eugene
Lucius and Clotilde. The materials include descriptions of family life, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and World War I
Germany. Also documented is Carl Ewald Grunsky's professional life as an engineer in California, serving as San Francisco
City Engineer and on the Isthmian Canal Commission (Panama Canal). The materials provide an overview of a successful California
family from the gold rush to the mid-twentieth century.
Physical Location: Collection stored in part off-site. Advance notice required for use. For current information on the location of these materials,
please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages Represented:
English
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Grunsky Family Papers, BANC MSS C-B 557, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Related Collections
Illustrations for Stockton Boyhood from the Grunsky family papers [graphic] ca. 1849-ca. 1931. BANC PIC 1954.026-B. The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Pictorial material from the Grunsky family papers [graphic] ca. 1850-1931. BANC PIC 1984.055-PIC. The Bancroft Library, University
of California, Berkeley.
Stockton boyhood; Being the reminiscences of Carl Ewald Grunsky which cover the years from 1855 to 1877. ed. by Clotilde C. Taylor. Bancroft Library publications no. 7. Berkeley, Calif. Friends of the Bancroft Library, University
of California, Berkeley, 1959.
Grunsky, Charles, 1823-1891.
From Europe to California: Extracts from letters of Charles Grunsky and his wife Clotilde, 1844-1853. F593.G87 The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Taylor, Clotilde Grunsky, b. 1891.
Dear family; the story of the lives of Charles and Clotilde Grunsky, 1823-1891, xF860.T23 The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Grunsky, Carl Ewald (1855-1934). Papers.
18 boxes, 4.4 cu.ft. California Academy of Sciences Special Collections. San Francisco, California.
Separated Material
Pictorial material transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library (BANC PIC 1954.026-B, BANC PIC 1984.055-PIC)
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
World War, 1914-1918.
Earthquakes--California--San Francisco.
Fires--California--San Francisco.
Family papers.
Grunsky, Charles, 1823-1891.
Grunsky, Clotilde, 1830-1864.
Grunsky, C. E. (Carl Ewald), 1855-1934.
Grunsky, Eugene L.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.
Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.).
Administrative Information
Provenance
The Grunsky Family Papers given to The Bancroft Library by Clotilde Grunsky Taylor in 1954 and 1955 were originally cataloged
as BANC MSS C-B 557. Additions given in 1984, originally cataloged as BANC MSS 85/63 c, have been consolidated into the collection
BANC MSS C-B 557.
Family Chronology
| 1823 |
Charles (Carl) Albert Leopold Grunsky born, Maichingen, Germany (d. 1891) |
| 1844 |
Charles Grunsky immigrates to America |
| 1849 |
Charles Grunsky moves to California |
| 1852 |
Charles Grunsky marries Clotilde Camerer (1830-1864) |
| 1853 |
Charlotte (Lottie) Fredricka born (d. 1920) |
| 1855 |
Carl Ewald born (d. 1934) |
| 1857 |
Otto Maximilian born (d. 1922) |
| 1866 |
Charles Grunsky's second marriage, to Fredrika (Charlotte Louise) Camerer (1838-1874) |
| 1876 |
Charles Grunsky's third marriage, to Anna Marie Follert Wurster (1836-1903) |
| 1879 |
Anna Pauline born (d. 1935) to Charles and Anna Marie Grunsky |
| 1883 |
Carl Ewald Grunsky marries Martha Kate Powers (1858-1921) |
| 1886 |
Eugene Lucius born (d.1946) to Carl Ewald and Martha Kate Grunsky |
| 1891 |
Clotilde born (d. 1994) to Carl Ewald and Martha Kate Grunsky |
| Note: |
This limited family chronology lists only family members included in the collection. For additional genealogical materials,
see Series 3.7, Clotilde Grunsky Taylor.
|
Family History
Charles (Carl) Grunsky left Wurttenberg, Germany in 1844 to immigrate to America. Dissatisfied with his prospects in Saint
Louis and Alabama, he came west to California in 1849. After a brief experience in the mines, Charles established a successful
transport business in Copperopolis. Charles went home to Wurttenberg in 1852, returning to California with his bride, Clotilde
Camerer Grunsky. The Grunsky family settled on a ranch near Stockton. Clotilde Grunsky had seven children from 1853-1863.
After Clotilde's death in 1864, Charles married Frederika (Charlotte Louise) Camerer in 1866. Fredricka had three children
before her death in 1874. Charles married a third time, to Anna Marie Follert Wurster in 1876. Anna had the last of Charles'
eleven children. Charles died in 1891.
Carl Ewald Grunsky was born to Charles and Clotilde in 1855. After graduating from high school, Grunsky continued his education
in Stuttgart Germany, graduating as a Doctor of Engineering 1877. Returning to California, he worked with the State Engineering
Department of California and the Examining Commission on Rivers and Harbors of California. Grunsky continued in private practice
while consulting for the San Francisco Sewage Commission, the Commissioner of Public Works of California, and as San Francisco's
first City Engineer from 1901-1904. Grunsky was a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission in 1904-1905 then a consulting engineer
with the U.S. Reclamation Service from 1905-1907, while continuing private practice in New York and San Francisco. Grunsky
was an active member of many organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Pacific Coast Technology
Society, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected
a resident member of the California Academy of Sciences in 1896 and was the Academy's President from 1912 until his death
in 1934.
Carl Ewald Grunsky married Martha Kate Powers in 1883, and they had four children. Martha Kate Power's father, Aaron Hubbard
Powers, came to California in 1949 by Cape Horn. Carl Ewald and Martha Kate's sons, Carl Ewald Jr. and Eugene Lucius, followed
their father's footsteps and became engineers. One daughter, Clotilde Grunsky Taylor, an editor and graduate of the University
of California, Berkeley, researched the family genealogy and wrote books from the family correspondence. Clotilde Grunsky
Taylor donated the family papers and her research in 1955.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Grunsky Family Papers consist of correspondence, documents, diaries, notebooks, and professional papers. Correspondence
from German immigrant Charles (Carl) Grunsky and his first wife, Clotilde Camerer, describes California during and after the
gold rush to family in Germany (written in German). Correspondence continues between family members and Charles's children,
Carl Ewald, Charlotte (Lottie), Otto, and Anna. Additional correspondence from Carl Ewald's wife Martha Kate Powers, her father
Aaron Hubbard Powers, and their children Eugene Lucius and Clotilde. The materials include descriptions of family life, the
1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and World War I Germany.
Also documented is Carl Ewald Grunsky's professional life as an engineer in California, as San Francisco city engineer, part
of the Isthmian Canal Commission (Panama Canal), and as a member of the California Academy of Sciences. Records include correspondence,
speeches, articles, and notebooks.
The materials provide an overview of a successful California family from the gold rush to the mid-twentieth century. Researchers
will be particularly interested in the historical topics within the family's correspondence and the professional records of
engineer Carl Ewald Grunsky.
Collection Contents
Box 1, 4, 5
SERIES 1:
Grunsky, Charles (Carl) Albert Leopold (1823-1891), 1830-1881, n.d.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and chronologically
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence, business papers, legal documents, and diaries from Charles (Carl) Grunsky and his wife, Clotilde
Camerer Grunsky. Documents describe daily life in California. Correspondence is generally in German to or from family in Germany.
[see also sub series 3.7 Clotilde Grunsky Taylor for family history]
box 1, folder 1-12
Outgoing, 1830-1866, n.d.
box 1, folder 13-19
Family (also to first wife, Clotilde Camerer Grunsky (1830-1864)), 1848-1880, n.d.
box 1, folder 22
Business Papers, 1852-1869, n.d.
box 1, folder 23
Legal Identification Documents, 1851-1881
box 4
Clotilde Camerer Grunsky Diary, 1852-1859
Box 1-6, 8-10, Carton 1-2, Oversize Folder
SERIES 2:
Grunsky, Carl Ewald (1855-1934), 1866-1933
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and chronologically
Scope and Content Note
The Carl Ewald Grunsky papers are divided into five sub-series, Personal Papers, Correspondence, Writings, Professional Papers,
and Printed Materials and Clippings.
2.1:
Personal Papers, 1855-1934
Scope and Content Note
Personal Papers contain materials on his education, certificates and commissions, professional history, and sketches of California
and the Colorado river.
box 1, folder 24
Education in Germany, 1855-1910
Certificates and Commissions
box 1, folder 26
Professional Record / Biographical Information (includes memoria), 1904-1934
box 1, folder 27-29
Sketches, Watercolors, and Painting (California and unidentified), 1878-1895
box 2, folder 1-2
Sketches and Watercolors (California and the Colorado River), 1907
2.2.:
Correspondence, 1866-1933
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence includes family correspondence (written in German and English), congratulations on his nomination to the Isthmian
(Panama) Canal Commission, and a description of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
box 2, folder 8
California State Library, Milton J. Ferguson, 1926
box 2, folder 10
Hoover, Herbert (1874-1964), 1931-1932
box 2, folder 11
Perkins, George (1824-1936), 1926
box 2, folder 12
Phelan, James D., 1904, 1914
box 2, folder 13
Roosevelt, Theodore (1858-1919), 1904
box 2, folder 14
Troutwine, John C., 1917-1921
box 2, folder 15
Townsend & Loftus, 1930-1933
box 2, folder 16
Correspondence regarding the Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.) [Panama Canal], 1904
box 8
Scrapbook of Congratulatory Correspondence on appointment to the Isthmian Canal Commission (U.S.) [Panama Canal], 1904
box 2, folder 17
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire (Correspondence from family in San Francisco Area), 1906
2.3.:
Writings, 1862-1934, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Writings contain manuscripts of speeches, articles, papers and reminiscences of travel, family, professional, and general
topics.
carton 1, folder 1
All American Canal Report, 1919
carton 1, folder 2
Bridges, San Francisco Bay Bridge, 1931, n.d.
carton 1, folder 3-6
Business, Public Policy, and Economics, 1908-1932
carton 1, folder 8
California Academy of Sciences, 1931
carton 1, folder 9
Calendar Alternatives, 1932
carton 1, folder 10
Climatology (Ice Age), 1924-1934
carton 1, folder 11
Dams and Flood Control, 1927-1931
carton 1, folder 12-13
Engineers and the Engineering Profession, 1917, 1924-1931
carton 1, folder 15
International Relations, Peace, 1917-1925
carton 1, folder 16
Panama Canal, 1905, 1912, 1928, n.d.
carton 1, folder 17
Public Utility Rates, n.d.
carton 1, folder 18-19
Reminiscences, 1862-1908, 1930 n.d.
carton 1, folder 20
San Francisco, 1921, 1928, 1930, n.d.
carton 1, folder 21
Standard of Value, 1930-193219
carton 1, folder 24
Widening of city streets, 1922
carton 2, folder 1
Miscellany, Unidentified Notes, n.d.
2.4.:
Professional Papers, 1873-1938, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Professional Papers consist of materials on Carl Ewald Grunsky tenure as San Francisco City Engineer, notebooks (generally
containing notes and figures relating to professional activities though some notebooks contain personal reflections), and
the card file index from the office he later shared with his son, Eugene Lucius Grunsky.
carton 2, folder 2
San Francisco City Engineer, Public Works, 1904-1929
carton 2, folder 3
Inventions and Patents (Sewer System, Suspension Bridge, Air Ship), 1927-1930
carton 2, folder 4
Sutter's Fort Restoration Materials (includes sketches), 1907, 1926, 1930, 1938
carton 2, folder 5
Topographic Stadia Surveying: a manual with reduction tables and a
new type of reduction diagram, 1917
box 6
Clear Lake Dam Photograph Book with Notes, 1913
carton 3
Books G-Z, General Office File A-B
carton 3
General Office File So-Z, Miscellany
2.5.:
Printed Materials and Clippings, 1880-1934, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Printed Materials and Clippings include books from the UC Berkeley Architecture Association and San Francisco Architectural
Club. Collected newspaper clippings feature Carl Ewald Grunsky's work and interests, including California and Stockton history.
[see also sub series 3.7 Clotilde Grunsky Taylor for family history]
carton 2, folder 6
Year Book of the University of California Architectural Association, 1914, 1914
carton 2, folder 7
San Francisco Architectural Club Yearbook, 1915, 1915
carton 2, folder 8-9
Personal Clippings, 1903-1934
carton 2, folder 10
Scrapbook Clippings, 1907-1910
box 8
Scrapbook of Clippings, General, Collected by Marta Kate Powers Grunsky, 1880-1931
carton 2, folder 11
German Language Clippings from Post War Germany, ca. 1920-1924
carton 2, folder 12
Water Resources Clippings, n.d.
carton 2, folder 13-15
California and Stockton History Clippings, ca. 1922-1934, n.d.
Box 2-3, Carton 2
SERIES 3:
Grunsky Family, 1831-1955, n.d.
Arrangement
The Grunsky Family sub-series is grouped by family members.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of family member correspondence, professional records and writings on family history.
3.1.:
Grunsky Family, 1831-1933, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Grunsky family documents include unidentified correspondence, translations of correspondence, information on land in Stockton,
and miscellany.
box 2, folder 18-20
General Correspondence, 1831-1934, n.d.
box 2, folder 21
Translations of Family correspondence (German to English) Ewald and Otto's Trip to Germany (1872-1878), and From Post-War
Germany (1919-1920), 1872-1878, 1919-1920
box 2, folder 22
Miscellany (includes copy of John Wilson's recollections of Mexico), 1882-1885, n.d.
box 2, folder 23
Miscellany, Stockton Land, 1921-1922, 1933
3.2.:
Powers Family, 1849-1883, 1905-1907, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Powers Family materials are from Martha Kate Powers Grunsky, wife of Carl Ewald, and her father Aaron Hubbard Powers. [see
also sub series 3.7 Clotilde Grunsky Taylor for Powers family history]
box 3, folder 4
Martha Kate Powers Grunsky Friendship Album, 1874-1883
box 3, folder 5
Martha Kate Powers Grunsky Correspondence, 1905-1907, n.d.
3.3.:
Grunsky, Charlotte (Lottie) Fredricka (1853-1920), 1862-1920
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Charlotte (Lottie), sister of Carl Ewald, contains information on family affairs, including descriptions
of World War I Germany.
3.4.:
Grunsky, Otto Maximilian (1857-1922), 1872-1921, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Otto, brother of Carl Ewald, contains information on family affairs, including descriptions of World
War I Germany.
box 3, folder 8
Outgoing, 1872-1874, n.d.
3.5.:
Grunsky, Anna Pauline (1879-1935), 1920-1923
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Anna, half-sister of Carl Ewald, contains information on family affairs, including descriptions of World
War I Germany.
box 3, folder 10
Incoming Correspondence, 1920-1923
3.6.:
Grunsky, Eugene Lucius (1886-1947), 1906-1941
Scope and Content Note
The materials from Eugene Lucius, son of Carl Ewald, are professional, describing his engineering projects and research including
his notebooks, small binders of notes and figures relating to professional activities and projects, generally organized by
subject.
carton 2, folder 16
Professional Record, ca. 1916
box 7
Notebooks, 1906-1936, n.d.
carton 2, folder 20-22
Golden Gate Bridge Reports: Chief Engineer, Traffic Engineer, Wing Report, 1930
carton 2, folder 23
Hoover Dam Bidding Specifications, 1931
box 8
Ventura County, California Water Survey Reports, 1939
3.7.:
Taylor, Clotilde Grunsky (1891-1994), 1954-1969
Scope and Content Note
The documents of Clotilde Grunsky Taylor, daughter of Carl Ewald, contain genealogies and family history materials.
box 3, folder 11
Correspondence, 1934, 1951-1952
box 3, folder 12
Genealogical Materials and Correspondence, 1954
box 3, folder 13-14
The Story of the Lives of Charles and Clotilde Grunsky, 1823-1891, as Revealed in Diaries and Letters to their respective
Families.
ed. Clotilde Grunsky Taylor, 1955
box 3, folder 15-17
Stockton boyhood; Being the reminiscences of Carl Ewald Grunsky which cover the years from 1855 to 1877. ed. Clotilde Grunsky Taylor, ca. 1959
box 3, folder 18
Recollections of the Aaron H. Powers Family; The story of the lives of the various family members as revealed in letters and
events
. ed. Clotilde Grunsky Taylor, 1969
